Hi all,

first, I wish you in advance a happy new year with lots of blooms and growths! :lol:

I have just received this guy and I am very happy ! :D It looks very healthy and big enough to flower !!! :cheers:

http://img85.imageshack.us/img85/7345/cma1lt2.jpg

http://img405.imageshack.us/img405/7455/cma2ke8.jpg

But I have a question : don't you think it looks like it has begun to grow? There is not only a bud, you can see the beginning of a leave above. Is it normal at this period of the year? Isn't it a problem?

Finally, it seems that Cypripedium macranthos is not an official name, I can't find it with IPNI, I only find Cypripedium macranthon. Do you confirm it is the right name?

In advance, thank you very much for your help. Best regards,

Mafate

Hi, Mafate,

A very nice-looking plant. It has broken dormancy, probably a consequence of having been shipped. This is fairly common. This means that you should grow it near a window or under artificial light. It will bloom in only 3 or 4 weeks - macranthos grows very fast when dormancy is broken and blooms quickly. Since the plant will not have had an optimal dormancy period you will have to take very good care of it this year as it will be quite fragile. Definitely do not pollenate the flower as setting a fruit will certainly kill the plant. The plant has a rather nice root system so it you keep it evenly moist (you have a nice porous media) and keep it lightly fertilized, it should do well. Some macranthos have very short seasons so if it dies back in 3 or 4 months do not be concerned. It needs a very long dormancy period next time - 5 or even 6 months is not too long to help it recover - so you will likely have to refrigerate it for some time as it may well become dormant in late spring or early summer.

As for the name, this species has undergone some fine-tuning. Today it's generally accepted name is Cypripedium macranthos, although your alternate spelling. In 1805 it was named Cyp macranthos by Swartz based on a collection in Russia. The confusion about the name is based on Swartz' use of macranthos - a Greek syntax when names are often Latinized. However, Greek is considered to be legitimate now so macranthos is the correct name. Since the Greek anthos is neuter, then the Latinized Cyp macranthon is completely incorrect. However, many workers until 1980 called the species Cyp macranthum, which is the Latinized version of the original name. In 1980 Moore in Flora Europaea decided that the Greek version is superior and since that is the standard reference for many plants, Cypripedium macranthos is the correct name today (a nice discussion of this is contained in Cribb's "The Genus Cypripedium" from 1997).

As Cyp macranthos is quite a variable species, please let us see the flower if the plant blooms (plants that break dormancy early are prone to aborting their flowers - if this happens do not be concerned, it means that the plant will be very strong in the spring of 2008, whereas if it does bloom now, it may take a rest in 2008 until it can catch up on its dormancy schedule.

Ron Burch

Nice cyp plant...:cool:

Mafate,

Your plant looks very much like some a friend of my recently got. Like Ron said C. macranthos is found in very cold climates with short growing cycles, so plants mature quickly. If improperly stored (especially if wild collected and then removed to a warmer area) these will start growing again. I bought a wild collected C. macranthos a couple years back in full bloom in late March. It grew until mid July and went dormant. Since that is the extreme hot season here, I put the plant (pot and all) in the refrigerator for 8 months. The following year it grew and produced a nice new bud and roots. Here is the post from this summer (http://www.slipperorchidforum.com/forum/showthread.php?t=6692). The plant grew into two distinct sections. The healthy front section I put into the refrigerator and the back section started to grow. I tried to keep the growing part alive, but I think it isn't going to make it.

Concerning your plant, you can't stop it from growing at this point. It will grow best in a greenhouse, or if you have a good indoor light set up, that will work too. Grow it until it goes dormant and then refrigerate the whole pot in a plastic bag for 6-8 months. DON'T put it in the freezer! If it survives it will take a few years to get it back on cycle. The good news is that this species is relatively easy to grow.

Tom

Hi all, Ron, Guy and Tom,

thank you for your answers. I have had a look at my plant and effectively, it is growing. So, should I keep it between 5 and 10°C (41 and 50°F) in my attic in front of a medium size south facing window or in my house at 21°C (70°F) in front of a large south facing window? I have only those two solutions available unfortunately... Thank you in advance for your help. Best regards,

Mafate

Put it in the warm place, but keep the humidity as high as you can. They don't want to grow in very dry conditions. Good luck in growing it.

Hi Tom,

ok, I will do like you say. Thank you for your help. Best regards,

Mafate

Hi, Mafate

I think we got the same plants at the same time. Please take a look at the photos I recently posted of mine in bloom here!

Make sure yours get plenty of light and I assume you didn't plant them in soil which is best.

Let us know how they are doing!

P.

Hi Paul,

ok, I will send a photo if it makes a flower too!

Regards,

Mafate